Just half a minute later, the battle came to an end.

The monsters and strange people confronting each other were clearly not on the same level in terms of size and scale.

From the perspective of onlookers, Teacher Yang, who was possessed, looked fierce and terrifying, with a terrifying aura. On the other hand, the floating whale in the sky had a leisurely posture, like a pet that came out in the afternoon to bask in the sun.

One was lying on the ground, the other was swimming in the air. One was moving up, the other was moving down. The scene of the two staring at each other was like a poster for a blockbuster Hollywood movie.

However, the result of their battle was completely overwhelming:

When Starry Lin waved her arm like a referee on the ring, the whale started to sway its body. The strange person quickly reacted and maintained a crouching position on the ground as a jumping posture. Then, he suddenly contracted and released his legs, jumping up like a spring installed under his feet.

Obviously, he wanted to take advantage of his smaller size compared to the monster and jump onto it, or bypass Little An to attack the two people behind. At the very least, he wanted to avoid the attack...

But his struggle was meaningless. The pitch-black whale just slightly tilted its head, and its huge head with tentacles collided with the jumping strange person with an unstoppable force, sending him flying seven or eight meters away.

After the strange person's body was heavily slammed onto the ground, he let out a painful howl from the depths of his throat. He struggled to escape, but before he could get up, the whale behind him pounced.

If you looked from a distance, Little An's movement speed didn't seem to be very fast, but it gave the feeling of being "slow yet fast". This was because the giant beast was over ten meters long, and with a flick of its tail, it could swim straight out of two classrooms' distance. Just as the strange person's body was about to bounce up, it was knocked down again by the diving whale, and his whole body fell face down.

This time, the strange person couldn't get up anymore.

With his limbs spread out and his face pressed against the ground, the surrounding land was marked with shallow dents under the invisible weight, forming a human-shaped outline. It was like being crushed under a collapsed building, unable to move.

In competitions like boxing and martial arts, they were divided into different weight classes because body size, height, and weight could play a decisive role in the battle and victory.

The difference in physique between the possessed person and Little An was like a person fighting head-on with several elephants running at full speed, or using their flesh and blood to block a speeding truck on the highway. The only outcome was being crushed to pieces.

No matter how the strange person struggled, he was pressed down by a tremendous weight, just like using a slipper to hold down a cockroach.

That night, he understood why he chose to escape when Little An appeared. It was the most correct choice because he was no match for Starry Lin.

"Faster than I imagined."

Sunny Xu ran back from not far away.

Although he was confident of victory, the situation ended so decisively and neatly, which was a bit unexpected.

Originally, he was worried that this guy would become desperate and suddenly burst out with potential to break through Little An's blockade. That's why he asked Seigetsu Zhu to leave as soon as possible. It would be troublesome if it turned into a situation where the villain held an innocent victim hostage. But now, it seemed unnecessary.

"...Huh, is this enough?"

Starry Lin saw him approaching and her body, which had been supporting her, gently swayed. With Sunny Xu's support, she stood up straight and leaned against the nearby wall.

"I feel better than the previous times."

Starry Lin's forehead was covered in glistening sweat, and her breathing was relatively steady. She opened her hands and tried to loosen and tighten them, as if she was staring at the lines on her palms, and said softly.

"It seems like... I'm starting to get used to it."

Starry Lin had tested it more than once. Maintaining Little An's state of coming from another world to reality did not consume much energy. That's why they could chat with peace of mind before, waiting for the strange person to make a move.

In simple terms, the fatigue she felt seemed to be related to the degree of interference Little An had on reality.

"Is that so?"

Sunny Xu smiled and reached out his arm towards her.

"Then do you still need me to support you? I want to go over there and see the situation."

Starry Lin's long and thick eyelashes trembled twice, and her cheeks puffed up slightly. She patted his arm as if complaining.

"Of course! I have to go with you."

The girl grabbed the boy's collar with both hands, as if she wanted to press her entire weight onto him.

Sunny Xu's shoulder sank, but he didn't struggle. He had long been accustomed to this posture. He steadily took a step forward, and the two of them maintained this awkward posture of leaning on each other, walking towards the strange person lying on the ground.

...

The limbs of the possessed person had been broken and pressed against his back, turning him into a bundle of flesh.

In this awkward position, the strange person could only bare his teeth at them, but no matter what, he couldn't move. He could only desperately crawl on the ground like a flipped turtle.

"What are you going to do?"

Starry Lin asked.

"We won't kill him. We can't just leave him here, right?"

"...I want to try."

Sunny Xu took a deep breath and answered in a deep voice.

"What?"

"I want to try if I can... help Teacher Yang get out of this possessed state."

"The success of this matter will determine how we should treat people like him in the future. I believe that situations like being possessed by monsters are something we will face sooner or later. It's better to start trying now."

"...Are you sure about this?"

Starry Lin's expression seemed hesitant.

"Yeah."

While saying that, Sunny Xu squatted down. He tentatively placed his palm on the strange person's forehead.

"But at that time, you only 'saw' his past actions through spiritual communication, right? Why do you think you have the ability to release him from possession?"

"...From the situation just now, it seems like Teacher Yang is unconscious of his own actions. His body moved unconsciously."

Sunny Xu closed his eyes and slowly voiced his speculation."So, I think there should be two consciousnesses in Teacher Yang's body. One belongs to humans, and the other belongs to the monster's instinct. Usually, it's Teacher Yang's consciousness that controls the body, but in a state like this, it's the monster that's in control. If I can go deeper and find these two consciousnesses separately from the body..."

"That sounds reasonable," Starry Lin scratched her hair, looking worried. "...but, is it really safe?"

"I tried it last time, using telepathy on the monster was no problem."

Although reading those terrifying memories was not a pleasant experience, after several times, he and Starry Lin had gradually become accustomed to it.

And Sunny Xu himself knew very well that his abilities had not reached their limits.

But how far he could go would depend on the next attempt--

*

In that moment of intense concentration, it felt as if a strange electric current passed through his mind, followed by a rapid succession of blurry images.

Sunny Xu was already used to it. And this time, instead of immersing himself in the countless chaotic memories, he began to check his own state and look around.

He couldn't see his body, which was natural because he was currently existing as "consciousness."

Around... it was pitch black.

Not just dim light, but nothingness, complete darkness.

Where is this?

The world of consciousness? The world of souls? The world inside his mind?

He couldn't feel his hands or feet, couldn't feel his body, and the feedback from his eyes, nose, and ears no longer existed.

But all of this didn't make Sunny Xu panic because the unprecedented sense of novelty brought complete satisfaction, overshadowing the strangeness.

No problem, no problem.

He silently reassured himself that everything had gone smoothly up to this point.

The residual aura on objects was always limited, so the time he could maintain the telepathic state was also limited, often interrupted after a while. That's why he had to use the monster, who was already an anomaly, as an experimental subject.

Following his previous plan, Sunny Xu once again tried to release his telepathic power into the surroundings while in a state where only his "consciousness" remained--

And when he did so, he quickly heard a voice from the boundless darkness.

Sunny Xu focused his attention. The voice sounded like it was coming from a loudspeaker, growing louder and clearer.

He could feel that his consciousness had turned into countless tentacles, extending endlessly into the surroundings until he could truly discern the direction from which the voice was coming--

"No... don't...!"

At the moment he heard that voice, Sunny Xu suddenly opened his eyes.

...

...wait, eyes?

He instinctively reached out and touched his own eyes.

Can I "see" now?

Can I feel my own "hands"?

No, not only that, he also felt a solid ground beneath his feet.

Could it be that the telepathy ended, and I'm back in reality?

However, that was not the case. Sunny Xu found that the surroundings hadn't returned to an empty space in the real world. It was still an endless expanse of darkness.

But, it wasn't a void with nothing anymore.

Under his feet, there seemed to be invisible foundations, emanating a damp and chilling aura, spreading towards the vast end of the world.

And in front of him, in the boundless darkness, Sunny Xu saw a man lying on the ground, struggling desperately.

It was this person who repeatedly shouted "don't...!" that caught his attention.

As far as his eyes could see, it was still pitch black, like smoke filling the sky, like a sea engulfing everything.

Unconsciously, Sunny Xu had already approached this person.

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Then, a familiar face slowly appeared before him.

...Teacher Yang?

Sunny Xu wasn't too surprised.

He used telepathy on the monster; in other words, the place he was currently in was likely the person's mental world--

In that case, the person writhing on the ground was Teacher Yang? Or more accurately, his consciousness?

He felt a sudden joy.

His thoughts were indeed correct!

The effect of telepathy was not as simple as just reading memories. Even when used on inanimate objects, it could produce the magical effect of retracing the holder's experiences and even locating them.

If used on a person... naturally, he could step into the person's inner world!

This was true telepathy!

Sunny Xu took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

He stood there, observing the situation, and found that Teacher Yang was still rolling on the ground, clutching his head and shouting, "Don't come near! Don't!"

Sunny Xu cautiously greeted him but received no response.

"If this is Teacher Yang's 'consciousness,' or a part of his consciousness... is he in so much pain because his body is being occupied by a monster from another world?"

Sunny Xu stroked his chin.

"In that case, as long as I bring him out of this place, can I make Teacher Yang's consciousness return to his body and end the possession...?"

He couldn't be sure of his guess, and he had no knowledge of the risks involved, but driven by his youthful spirit, he gathered his courage and reached out his hand to the man lying on the ground.

"Teacher Yang, Teacher Yang? Can you hear me?"

Teacher Yang didn't answer, just covered his face and let out a low sob.

Sunny Xu gritted his teeth and simply grabbed the man's hand, using his strength to pull him up.

It was light, so light as if it had no weight at all.

But, since they were both "consciousness," it was only natural.Teacher Yang, who was pulled up, hung his head low, one hand covering his face, showing no intention of looking up at anyone. He was muttering, "Don't come near me... Don't..."

His body was trembling slightly, clearly in fear. Had he been hurt by something?

Apart from Teacher Yang, Sunny Xu found nothing else in this space, let alone any consciousness of monsters, so he decided to ignore it for the time being.

He began to look for a way to escape from here.

"If it was the previous 'spiritual communication' state, it was usually forcibly interrupted when the time was up; this time, since I have delved into someone else's heart, do I need to... leave on my own?"

Sunny Xu thought for a moment, then closed his eyes again.

This time, he concentrated on retracting his consciousness, silently chanting, "Leave! Leave!"

After all, this was someone else's inner world, and Sunny Xu felt he shouldn't stay too long.

Sure enough, when he did this, he quickly found himself actually "floating" up, like a balloon escaping from a child's hand, like swimming from the terrifying deep sea towards the surface illuminated by the sky—

Sunny Xu was overjoyed and quickly opened his eyes.

When he looked down, he saw the land beneath his feet, submerged in boundless darkness, slowly moving away from him;

And when he looked up, he saw a faint light shining in the distance.

The light was not dazzling, but rather soft, yet it was so conspicuous in the vast darkness.

It was like a person who had accidentally fallen into a well, looking up at the sky above the well...

He instinctively knew that as long as he touched that light, he could successfully escape from the "spiritual communication" state of delving into others' hearts.

Sunny Xu turned his head and saw that his hand was firmly gripping Teacher Yang's arm.

He was like a diver going to rescue a drowning person, dragging Teacher Yang's consciousness towards the surface of the sea, and the two of them were slowly floating towards the light above their heads.

Great...

Sunny Xu breathed a sigh of relief, his approach was correct! He really brought Teacher Yang's consciousness back—

"…!"

Just as he was overjoyed, a heavy downward force suddenly came from his fingertips.

Sunny Xu hurriedly turned his head back in panic.

What's going on?!

Below him, Teacher Yang, whose hand he was holding, was still mumbling with his head down, his expression unclear.

Sunny Xu looked around again, but apart from the light shining down from above, everything inside the spiritual world was pitch black, and he couldn't see anything.

"…!"

Again, a violent force that seemed to pull him down entirely!

Even the upward floating momentum was affected, and Sunny Xu's "consciousness body" began to shake violently.

"Wait... what's going on?!"

When Sunny Xu looked down at Teacher Yang again, he felt a chill run down his spine.

A hand, an old hand covered with age spots and wrinkles, was firmly gripping Teacher Yang's clothes...

Something was slowly climbing up!

Sunny Xu felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him, and a bone-chilling cold rose up his spine.

The corner of the Zhongshan suit revealed from behind Teacher Yang allowed him to quickly identify the identity of this guy—

The one hanging below Teacher Yang at this moment was the old man from the haunted house!

"I've said... I've said..."

Teacher Yang's voice gradually grew louder, finally becoming as loud as a bell, echoing in the pitch-black spiritual world.

"—Don't come near me!"

He suddenly raised his head, his thin face tense with bulging veins, coldly staring at Sunny Xu.

The most terrifying thing was that the pupils staring at him had no eyeballs, only deep eye sockets, and two centipede-like worms were crawling out of the dark holes...